Mystery Gallery

Updated 9/8/2007 -- The Answer

From time to time, I may post here photos here as identification challenges.
Sometimes I honestly don't know the answer.
Today, however, I do, and I'll reveal it at the end of the week.

Virginia International Raceway,
June 1961. New information says
April 1961. Lead car is an Alfa Romeo
Guilietta Spider owned by Tom O'Brien, following is a Fiat Abarth Zagato,
owned by Franklin Roosevelt Jr.
During the course of this race, the two cars swapped the lead an average
of 5 times per lap.
The driver in the Alfa won. New information says this is technically correct,
he won his class, GP. The HP Fiat Abarth actually beat him but was
DQ'd for having (illegal) oversized finned brake drums.

The Answer

I find myself out of town unexpectedly and unable to post the full
answer, but quickly: the Alfa driver is Bill Kane, the Fiat driver
is Paul Richards. I'll post some more on Bill Kane, a notable figure
of the period, later. Bill was a really really great guy and a very
fine driver who lived in Schenectady, New York; he died in 2004 and is very
much missed.

How you could have found the answer after the first update

Google on VIR history and go look at Nick England's Page-OR-
Click on the VIR link, then notice the link to Nick England's page on it

Then, on the VIR history page, note that there is a link for a directory
of specific races, click through to that, and see the link for the
President's Cup National at VIR in April of 1961.
After that, everything you need to know can be found in the
race results and the report scanned from Sports Car Graphic.